Reborn in the 80s: The Smart Wife with a Secret Space Chapter 1119: Face-Slapping

With a warm smile, Xinyan stepped inside. "Grandpa, I’m back."

Mr. Gu drew his granddaughter close and presented her to the nearby guests: "This is my granddaughter Han Xinyan, studying at Beijing University."

Though the introduction was straightforward, the pride gleaming in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Immediately after he spoke, the guests unleashed a wave of compliments, sincere or feigned.

Knowing his granddaughter disliked crowds, Mr. Gu, after basking in the moment, said kindly: "Your grandmother has been mentioning you all morning. Plenty of ladies are gathered there; it’d help you to meet them."

Xinyan nodded in agreement with her grandfather. She offered polite greetings to all before making her way to the second courtyard.

Entering the main yard of the second courtyard, bursts of laughter echoed from the main hall, and she faintly heard her own name mentioned.

Old Madam Gu, Tao Shuqing, spotted her right away: "Yanyan is back. We were just chatting about you."

Xinyan approached obediently and smiled while nodding at the women seated across from her.

Tao Shuqing drew her granddaughter near to show her off: "This is my granddaughter Han Xinyan, isn’t she lovely?"

All the ladies opposite nodded enthusiastically: "Old Madam, your granddaughter is stunning, that skin of hers is truly enviable."

Before the old madam could reply, one lady grinned and inquired: "How old is Xinyan, does she have a boyfriend?"

If not, her family had two fine sons ready.

Success here could turn the Gu Family into a future ally.

Old Madam Gu squeezed her granddaughter’s hand, fully grasping the woman’s scheme: "Our Yanyan is already engaged, just waiting for graduation before the wedding."

The lady shifted uncomfortably: "Beautiful girls like her are always snapped up quickly."

After some light chatter, Xinyan softly asked her grandmother, "Grandmother, where are Mom and Junjun?"

Tao Shuqing chuckled: "That little rascal is full of mischief. Your dad held him briefly, and he got soaked."

Xinyan laughed at the story: "I’ll go find them and let them know I’m here, so they don’t worry searching for me later amid the crowd."

Tao Shuqing saw through her granddaughter’s pretext with a knowing smile: "Off you go, see if the little troublemaker’s cleaned up."

Xinyan bid farewell to the group and departed.

The moment she was gone, the scheming lady started subtly probing about He Jinxuan.

Tao Shuqing, knowing her granddaughter’s fiancé ran his own transport firm, beamed with pride yet kept details vague: "Yanyan’s fiancé is a captain at the city transport team."

While the others pressed for more, Liang Yifang arrived with her kids.

Before Old Madam Gu, Tao Shuqing, could answer, she cheerfully hailed the ladies present.

Having studied the Gu Family beforehand, these guests dismissed her outright, responding coolly without a hint of warmth.

Liang Yifang flushed with embarrassment.

Spotting her mother’s discomfort, Gu Yingying rushed to smooth things over, flashing a smile as she sat by Old Madam Gu: "Grandma, you and Grandpa are finally back home, I’ve missed you terribly."

Old Madam Gu, from a noble background, recognized such ploys from her youth: "Yingying, settled back in the country now?"

Gu Yingying acted sweetly: "I struggled at first, but I’m fully adapted now."

Old Madam Gu’s smile stayed surface-level, not touching her eyes, as she replied: "Good to hear. Just remember the right term next time—you should say Great-Aunt."

Back overseas, Gu Hongrui had the kids use Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt. She’d corrected it then, but they were young and stuck to old habits.

Now home, it was time to fix that.

She refused to let mix-ups harm Wanqing or her two grandsons.

Gu Yingying hadn’t anticipated such directness from Great-Aunt, yet she played along meekly: "Got it, Yingying will remember."

Inwardly, she raged against Old Madam Gu.

Fuming beyond endurance, she declared: "Great-Aunt, I’ll check if there’s anything to help with."

Old Madam Gu gave a faint nod: "Go on."

The instant Gu Yingying exited the second courtyard’s main area, her expression darkened, muttering inside: "You old witch, no wonder you’re childless. Nearly in the grave and still so haughty?"

Glancing at her wristwatch, she recalled her invited classmates—they ought to be here soon—so she strode to the front courtyard.

True to her thought, upon arriving at the front courtyard, she spotted them approaching as a group.

Seeing her, they erupted noisily: "There’s the one who invited us."

They gestured toward Gu Yingying while chattering.

This antics left Gu Yingying red-faced, but having summoned them to flaunt her status, she endured and approached: "These are my classmates I brought along."

The gatekeeper checking invitations eyed their cards: "Sorry, you’ve only got two invitations."

The message was plain: either two enter, or a Gu Family member vouches.

Gu Yingying bristled at the words: "My father is Gu Hongrui, hosting today—sure you want to block me?"

Today’s guards answered solely to the true Gu Family leaders, ignoring this far-off branch.

The denial came firm: "Apologies, Miss Gu, no valid invites means no entry."

Humiliated and furious, Gu Yingying snapped: "But there are two cards! Guests can bring family."

The guard clarified patiently: "Yes, one invite covers two family, but these are blank—proof they’re not from the hosts."

Such words stung deeply; had Xinyan witnessed it, she’d applaud the guard heartily.

The classmates all stared at Gu Yingying now.

Her tagalong, Lu Yanyan, blurted innocently: "Yingying, didn’t you say this is your family party? Why’s this guy dissing you?"

Gu Yingying shot her a glare, irritated: "Keep quiet if you can’t speak right—you’re making a fool of us."

As tension thickened, Xinyan emerged from the courtyard, heading to greet He Jinxuan and the An Family.

She glanced up and noticed the dozen or so clustered at the gate.

Just then, Gu Yingying’s sidekick looked over and pointed: "Yingying, what’s Han Xinyan doing here?"

Hearing that, Gu Yingying whipped around and froze in shock.

Before Xinyan drew near, she shouted: "Han Xinyan, why are you here?"

Xinyan hadn’t foreseen Gu Yingying bringing so many classmates, so she shot back: "Why shouldn’t I be here?"